Power and Wealth

Noon.

In the compound of the office.

Outside a main building, in front of an office.

Dong Xuebing received several calls along the way, not only from Fang Shuling, but even from Xie Ran. Dong Xuebing knew why they were so anxious. The relationship between the Xie and Fang families of the previous generation was already very bad. If Dong Xuebing quarreled with Fang Wenping again, the enmity between the two families would intensify. Xie Ran and Fang Shuling's prospects together would also become more uncertain. After all, marriage was not just a matter between two individuals but mainly between two families, and the adjustment and overlapping interests of two families, especially powerful families like the Xie and Fang families. So when they heard that Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping were fighting again, Xie Ran and the others naturally couldn't help but care. They were the least willing to see this situation.

"Brother-in-law..."

"Enough, Xiao Ran."

"Can you give me face?"

"Go about your business. I know what to do."

"Oh, I don’t know what to say about you and Aunt Fang."

"This is between us, and it shouldn't affect your relationship with Xiaoling. You two don't need to feel awkward in the middle. It has nothing to do with you."

"But..."

"The leader is looking for me, that's it."

Dong Xuebing hung up the phone and looked at the office door ahead, lightly knocking a few times.

Only to hear a not-so-pleasant voice from inside, "The door's not locked, come in."

Dong Xuebing pushed the door open and saw Secretary Wu behind the desk. He had been delayed by several phone calls and arrived a bit late, but who would have thought that Fang Wenping hadn't arrived either? So Dong Xuebing didn't explain anything and just waited expressionlessly for the leader to scold him.

Secretary Wu, however, didn't say a word. He just gestured to the chair opposite, then lowered his head to flip through the phone book and make phone calls.

Dong Xuebing sat down.

Secretary Wu said, "Old Chen, it's me, um, you already know about this matter. We didn't handle it internally, so don't report it, okay? Just inform the young reporters who came today. Yeah." Then, another call, "Xiao Zhou, I, um, just now, be careful about what happened. Don't let our newspaper's reporters write about it, okay? It's just a small internal matter, yeah, this is Open Day, so cooperate."

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking on the door rang again.

Secretary Wu said impatiently, "Come in."

Fang Wenping's figure walked into the office. After closing the door, she glanced at Dong Xuebing on the chair, her eyes cold, and sat down opposite the desk without courtesy.

However, Secretary Wu didn't have time to pay attention to the two of them. He was eager to deal with the incident's aftermath, still making phone calls. "Director Liu, how's it going over there? Um, have you explained everything? Okay, what's the reaction of the reporters? Um, um, I don't want verbal promises. This matter must not be leaked out at all. Keep it internal, digest it ourselves, and don't let the media get involved. Um, I don't care what methods you use. You must minimize the impact of this matter, especially those foreign media workers. I've just informed several domestic newspapers and media outlets, mainly foreign media and dignitaries. I handle their work personally and can't afford any problems. Okay, I'm waiting for your message, that's it for now."

Seven or eight consecutive calls.

Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping sat there waiting.

About twenty minutes later, Secretary Wu finally put down his phone and sighed. He was nearly sixty years old, and this ordeal had exhausted him. He took a sip of water from his cup and then finally looked at the two protagonists in front of him, who seemed indifferent as if they didn't care at all. Secretary Wu's beard trembled angrily, and he couldn't help but slam the table.

Bang!

Dong Xuebing looked over.

Fang Wenping also raised her eyes.

"Look at the trouble you've caused for the organization," Secretary Wu said angrily. "I don't understand what you two are up to."

Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping remained silent.

Secretary Wu banged the table and said to Fang Wenping, "Xiao Fang, you're also an old comrade of our Commission for Discipline Inspection. You've been working in the organization for many years, and the organization trusts you. That's why you've been entrusted with an important position as the head of the First Supervision Office. But look at you, what are you doing? Tell me, what are you trying to do? Arguing with your colleagues in public, especially when there are so many domestic and foreign journalists around on Open Day, don't you look at the bigger picture? I'm asking you! Don't you have any sense of the bigger picture?"

Fang Wenping shrugged indifferently. It seemed that she had a good relationship with Secretary Wu, or this was just her usual manner of speaking. "You know my way of working. This is my personality. I can't stand any nonsense. When I see a problem, I have to speak up. I can't change it for a lifetime. I don't think I'm primarily responsible for this matter. Someone intentionally bumped into me and even ruined the meal I just bought. Do I still have to pretend not to know and deal with the other party with a smile? Is it my problem?"

Secretary Wu pointed at her. "Look at your attitude."

Fang Wenping remained unyielding. "This has always been my attitude. You've known me for years. I don’t care how this is handled, but admitting my mistake is impossible. I don't think I did anything wrong. Someone deserved to be scolded, so I scolded him. What's wrong with that?"

Dong Xuebing chuckled. "Yes, indeed, someone deserved to be scolded."

Fang Wenping looked at him. "At least you know it yourself."

"It's you who have the self-awareness," Dong Xuebing retorted.

Secretary Wu closed his eyes, his anger even more evident. He slammed the table fiercely. "What are you doing? Be serious! You're in my office, and you're still like this. Do you two still respect me as the Secretary? Do you two still have any party principles? What kind of behavior is this? One is the head of the First Supervision Office, and the other is a deputy director of the Eighth Supervision Office. Both of you are leading cadres of our Commission for Discipline Inspection, setting an example for the subordinates. But what are you doing? You two are setting a bad example. Do you not feel ashamed?"

Dong Xuebing said, "Secretary Wu, about this matter..."

Secretary Wu rudely interrupted, "And you, Xiao Dong, although you've only been at the Commission for Discipline Inspection for one or two months, I've already read your file. I've heard about your work ability a long time ago. When you were at the grassroots, you had a good reputation. You've saved people more than once, even risking your life several times. You've never backed down. That's why we value you and have high expectations of you. We all believe you can be a supervisor because you have the ability and the character. But now, how do you treat the trust of the organization? Arguing with other leading cadres, shouting at a female colleague..."

Dong Xuebing argued. "I don't think there should be different standards based on gender. Just because she's a female comrade, does that mean she can recklessly bump into people and act arrogantly? And Secretary Wu, you can ask the people who were there then. It wasn't me who started the verbal altercation. Some people just started cursing, so how could I not retort? Do they think I'm easy to bully? I'm sorry, I have a bad temper, but I'm not a pushover."

Secretary Wu pointed at him. "You're still unrepentant after cursing someone."

Dong Xuebing remained firm. "I cursed those who deserved it. I don't think I did anything wrong. Of course, I apologize for causing trouble for the organization and giving the leaders trouble. I didn't do it intentionally; I was just pushed to my limit."

Fang Wenping sneered, "What a convenient excuse."

Dong Xuebing looked at her. "You started cursing at me first. We're both cadres. What kind of professionalism do you have? If you hadn't started cursing at me, why would I argue with a female comrade like you?"

Fang Wenping chuckled, "You're trying to play the blame game. If you didn't bump into me and cause my plate fell to the ground, would I start cursing you?"

"I don't understand how you passed the organization's assessment," Dong Xuebing said, looking at her. "You bumped into my shoulder, but you won't admit it."

"Which eye of yours saw that?" Fang Wenping retorted.

"I saw it with both eyes," Dong Xuebing replied.

Fang Wenping laughed, "Then let me give you some advice. Get yourself some glasses."

Dong Xuebing retorted, "And I'll give you some advice, too: Fix your bad breath and stop using such foul language."

The two refrained from directly insulting each other in the leader's office, but the atmosphere remained tense. The exchange of words turned from insults to sarcasm, once again igniting the tension between them.

They were like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.

Listening to their back-and-forth, Secretary Wu didn't even have the energy to slam the table anymore. He took a few deep breaths, feeling exasperated. There was nothing he could do.

One was a rogue.

The other was a jerk.

How did these two end up together?

As the Secretary, even if he spoke, they wouldn't listen. Secretary Wu was well aware of Fang Wenping's and Dong Xuebing's backgrounds—one from the Fang family and the other from the Xie family. He knew about the longstanding feud between the two families and understood that this matter was difficult to handle. Criticizing them without them listening or handling them too harshly would lead to objections from both families. So, he was at a loss. The mess was now thrown onto his lap.

If possible, Secretary Wu really wanted to remove Fang Wenping and Dong Xuebing from the Commission for Discipline Inspection and let them cause trouble wherever they pleased.

But he couldn't.

He would wait for instructions from above. These two had powerful backgrounds, and he couldn't control them even if he wanted to.

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